Wednesday Apple Rumors: Google Maps iOS App in Development

The new app may be submitted to Apple by year's end

Waiting for Better Maps: iOS 6 users who are frustrated with Apple‘s (NASDAQ:AAPL) new in-house Maps app may be able to install a Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) replacement on their devices in a matter of months, the New York Times reports. Sources say that Google is preparing its own maps app for Apple devices and hopes to have it ready by the end of the year. On Tuesday, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said that the company hadn’t yet submitted a new Maps app for Apple’s approval. Earlier this year, Apple dumped Google’s mapping program from the back-end of iOS 6 in favor of its internally created Maps app. However, with the debut of iOS 6 last week, many users complained about glitches in the app’s rendering and serious cartographic errors. Apple urged users to be patient, saying the app would improve with use over time. Sources indicated that Apple’s decision to boot Google from iOS 6 caught the Internet search giant by surprise since a year still remained on their contact, and it has scrambled to produce a new Google Maps app.

Big Apple Crime Spike: Thefts of Apple products are driving up crime statistics in New York City, according to AppleInsider. The New York Police Department says that so far this year it has received 11,447 reports of stolen Apple devices. That represents a 40% rise compared to last year. Crimes involving Apple products now account for 14.4% of all major crimes in the city. By contrast, rape, murder and robberies increased by just 4% over last year. Police officials noted that the theft of Apple products rose while theft of rival manufacturers’ products declined.

Ditching Aluminum: Sources say that Apple has purchased a large quantity of carbon-fiber components, according to Macotakara. The size of the carbon-fiber orders suggests that company is considering building new products with the light-weight material. Apple apparently ordered substantial quantities of the components from a Japanese manufacturer. The company has made a number of patent applications for carbon-fiber device cases and housings for products including MacBooks and iPads. Current iPads sport aluminum backs, which provide strong support for the tablets, but also increase their weight. Carbon-fiber cases would lead to lighter mobile devices.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors stories.